It Takes Two to Plan

Mrs. Wongtastic and I are trying out a new planning method this year with www.planbook.com
Now, I must give her all the credit because she is the one who found this wonderful website back in September when we were racking our brains for a system or a program to be able to plan together.

Here is what the website looks like.

We tried the physical planbook (the free one from Lakeshore that every teacher has) but it was too time consuming for us to copy down the same plans twice (since we're co-teachers sharing a room) and hard to know when one of us added or changed plans.

We ALSO tried google calendar. We created a separate calendar for
our classroom plans and shared it with one another. The perks of google calendar was that we could add, drop, and modify plans and both have access to it. It worked great for a year then we wanted more options than google calendar was giving us on their basic calendar format.

That's when Mrs. Wongtastic went on a internet search journey to find an existing online planning program for teachers that would allow us to have one account and both have access to add, drop, and modify one set of plans. I guess we aren't the first ones who wanted such a program because it already existed!

We have been using planbook since September and I must say that it is pretty amazing and makes our lives as co-teachers so much easier! I love the simplicity of it and how it really is like those physical planbooks you write your week's plans in except, it's online, it's able to be shared with a co-teacher, anddd it's cheap! Only $12 for a year.
If you split it with your co-teacher that's only $6 which is around the price of a physical planbook, anyways.

So if physical planbooks are not working for you, check out www.planbook.com!
Your first month is FREE! :)

Updates

Hello friends!

It's been a longg time since I've posted.
I've been super lazy about keeping up with my teacher blog mainly because out of the almost 5 years of teaching, this year has been the MOST stressful with a new reading curriculum and common core state standards. I am definitely feeling the PRESSURE!! But I will not let it destroy me. I love what I do and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else (I chant this to myself whenever it gets real crazy).

A few updates for you....
-not sure if I shared on the blog previously but my work hubby/wifey, my wonderful co-teacher whom I adore and love, Mrs. Wongtasic (formally Ms. Phantastic) had a baby! He was born earlier in the week and I was able to visit her at the hospital. It was so good to see her & meet baby C.

-Mrs. Wongtastic is on her maternity leave so I have a fantastic substitute teacher who will be with me for the next 12 weeks.

-state tests are around the corner so we've started to slowly prepare our students for it! I will most likely do an updated state test blog post soon!

-in the New Year, I want to be more faithful to this teacher blog of mine. especially because it's really for myself. i want to remember these moments many years down the line.

-if you're still checking up on me via this teacher blog, I thank ya and hope that you'll stay tuned!

Love,
Ms. Kimpop

UPDATED: Super Teacher Smoothie

Previously, I wrote a blog post about a yummy smoothie recipe.
You can check that post out here. 
I've been consistently blending up smoothies for over a year now (mostly for breakfast) and my smoothie recipe changes based on what greens, fruits, and juices I have in the house.
One that I have been drinking lately is this recipe. It's super delicious!!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
-a big handful of baby spinach

-3/4 cup of Trader Joe's Orange Peach Mango juice (if you can't find this, regular tangerine juice will do)

-1/4 cup of frozen pineapple (trader joe's sells frozen pineapple already cut up for $1.99 bag in the freezer aisle)

-half an apple (cut in half and preferably organic if you're not taking the skin off!)

-few ice cubes
-table spoon of chia seeds


WHAT TO DO
Put everything into a blender and blend for about a minute and you will get one delicious smoothie to start your morning off right. I usually have oatmeal or yogurt with the smoothie because as much as this smoothie is delicious it's not enough for someone like me who LOVES breakfast!!

Currently I am using a kitchen aid blender.
I have been for a while now and it's a great blender however, if you're looking into purchasing a blender, I would recommend the Nutribullet!
It's so easy to use and can take the cup right off the blender to go. It would even make a great Christmas gift for someone you know that is health conscience!

Stay warm everyone!

Love,
Ms. Kimpop

Keep Calm and...

Third Grade On!!!

I just wanted to write a quick post to share with you the cutest t-shirts we semi designed and ordered for the entire third grade. I say semi designed because although the slogan was my idea, it was Elisa from T-House Inc who put it on a t-shirt template and added a cute pencil on top! T-House Inc is located in Philadelphia. The cost was VERY reasonable and the tees arrived at our school in a very timely manner!

Every year in June, the whole school participates in Field Day where each grade wears the same color T-shirts and get to play various outdoor games and sports.
These t-shirts will be PERFECT for field day and we also decided to wear these shirts on all the third grade field trips this year!

We are really happy with how our t-shirts came out so I just wanted give Elisa a shout out here. If you're interested in ordering some t-shirts for your class... organization... etc, shoot Elisa an email at elisa@teehouseprint.com. 

I hope that our t-shirts this year inspires you to make some too!

Feel free to use our slogan as well. I thought it was pretty genius until I googled it and realized others have already come up with the slogan....

Keeping calm....
Ms. Kimpop

Co-Teaching Marriage Do's

As many of you know, I am happily married to a co-teacher, Mrs. Wongtastic (formally referred to as Ms. Phantastic). This school year is our 4th year together and I can say that our co-teaching marriage is one that continues to grow and prosper with every school year! I think the reason why we work so well together is one, our personalities seem to be naturally very compatible with one another. In every sense, we are like a married couple. Mrs. Wongtastic is stronger in a lot of my weaker areas and we truly do respect one another in our classroom or shall I say marriage? Haha. 

Not sure how many of my readers are co-teachers or know someone who is co-teaching but here are some do's in a co-teaching marriage (all based on my own experience and relationship of course!).

Do's

1) Do respect the other person.

Mrs. Wongtastic and I do get along but a lot of the getting along happens as we mutually respect one another and see each other as professionals. I completely respect my co-teacher and see her as an individual always growing and trying to better herself as an educator. A lot of my own inspiration comes from her!

2) Do share the workload!

Mrs. Wongtastic and I completely share everything we have to do in our classroom from grading, organizing, preparing, and teaching. I don't think one has MORE responsibilities over the other. We make sure that we share all responsibilities and it makes our life so much easier. For example, if we have tons of papers to grade we might split it in half. If I have to write up an I.E.P. (an individualized educational plan) for one of our students receiving special education services, Mrs. Wong will do something else that I had to do like booking a trip. 

3) Do refer to everything as "OURS" instead of "MINE"

Whenever one of us is leading a lesson, we make sure that we ALWAYS address everything as OURS and include the other person. For example, I rarely use "I was thinking..." instead I always say, "Mrs. Wong and I were thinking", instead of saying "I am really happy about the writing assignments" I will say, "We are so happy about the writing assignments". It's something so small but it makes a HUGE difference in creating a collaborative atmosphere in our classroom. 

4) Do show your appreciation for the other person

In our busy schedules, Mrs. Wongtastic and I will find little ways to show each other that we're appreciative of the other person from buying the other person a cup of coffee or something sweet to eat, or doing something the other was suppose to do as a surprise of even just bringing in something to share to eat at lunch. 

5) Do find humor in the classroom

Mrs. Wongtastic and I are often laughing in the room whether it's because of something ridiculous that has occurred or an inside joke that we share. Sometimes there is nothing else you can do but just simply laugh. 

This entry is pretty similar to one of my earliest entries on my blog,

HOW TO CREATE AND MAINTAIN A HAPPY CO-TEACHING MARRIAGE

if you're interested in reading some more on co-teaching marriages. :)

I'll be back with some DON'TS in the near future!

Have a great weekend, everyone. 

XOXO,

Ms. Kimpop

Too Blessed to be Stressed

Common core & new reading curriculum are kicking teacher's butts but stress will not win because I am too blessed to be stressed! Hahaha.
Just letting you know that I am alive and I will be back with some new posts SOON!
Hopefully like this weekend.

Love you all! Whoever you are!

Therapy for a Teacher's Sole

One of the most important things that I've learned about teacher apparel is having COMFORTABLE shoes! I've gone through many pairs of "teacher shoes" that looked cute but they did not FEEL cute.
They hurt and I've had to take my shoes off during lunch time to give my feet a break before putting them back on for the day.
Anyways, for those of you searching for some sole therapy, I HIGHLY recommend the following ....

Left: Crocs Adrina Flat from DSW

Right: Crocs Adrina Flat from DSW

Can you guess what these are?

..........

Yes, they are CROCS!!

The shoes that I once thought were not so cute and not for me are the shoes I am recommending to you now. Once you purchase a pair of these bad boys you will NEVER want to put on another brand of flats, EVER. I know summer is almost over and winter is almost here but don't fret because CROCS makes closed flats too! They are not as cute as the opened toe ones but still cute enough to sport in your classroom. 

Various Closed Toe Crocs from ZAPPOS

Various Crocs from Amazon

They will make a wonderful gift to someone who is a teacher... becoming a teacher... student teaching etc. 

I've included links to dsw, zappos, and amazon.... all of which carry crocs in different styles & sizes so definitely check it out if you've been searching for the perfect pair of teacher shoes!

Happy Croc-ing! 

Another Freebie!

Happy almost 2nd week of school for all N.Y.C. public school teachers, parents, and students!
School is in full swing and I am falling in love with each and every little soul God has placed into my classroom this year! :)

I have another freebie for you today and this time, it's even more exciting than the LAST freebie because I myself created this document. Hahaha. I am no graphic designer but this is something I came up with last year for my students who need a visual reminder to stay on task.

3,2,1, Can You Stay Buzzing on Green?
It's derived from the concept of green light, yellow light, red light but what it is- it's a behavior intervention tool that I stick on to a student's desk and it helps the student SEE where they are in terms of behavior during each period.

I use it a lot to help student stay focused. Let's say I have a student who's behavior goal is to pay attention to the teacher when a lesson is going on. If the student is off task and not paying attention, I may give him/her a verbal warning. If student continues to not focus on the task at hand, I will remove a green bee and the student will be on yellow light (a warning before he/she gets to red). Usually I find that students work hard when they are on yellow to "earn" their green light back. Once student has successfully come back to focusing on the task, I will give him/her back the green light. 

Anyways, this document is my FIRST document on teachers pay teachers and it's completely free so print it out and use it to your liking! 

Download 3,2,1, can you stay buzzing on green HERE for FREE!

Enjoy! 

Love, 

Ms. Kimpop

Freebie!

A coworker at work told me about a wonderful freebie that I must share with you, especially if you're a teacher or a parent teaching time! These are wonderful labels for your clock which can be easily taped and it will make teaching time so much easier.

All you have to do is sign up for a FREE account and you download the template and print.
I laminated mine (just cause teachers laminate EVERYTHING... and it preserves the life of the paper) and it now hangs beautifully around our classroom clock.

On a side note, teachers pay teachers is a website where teachers create their own documents and templates and sell em' to whoever wants a copy- it's a great way to make some extra cash! I personally don't sell anything on it but I am thinking of doing so in the near future!

Happy Sunday everyone!!

Back to School for... Me!

Today, I returned to a my very dusty, furniture moved to all the wrong places, boxes everywhere, but NEWLY WAXED & SHINY FLOORED CLASSROOM!

The custodians in my school are really great. They do a great job of re-doing the floors every summer. Ms. Phantastic (my co-teacher) met me in the classroom and together we unpacked boxes, moved furniture back into all the right places, arranged the desks, ANDDDD got to some classroom decor!

Personally for me, the decoration part is what gets me most excited about back to school. I'm sure 98% of teachers would agree with me. We keep teacher stores in business! Especially during back to school time.

Confessions of Ms. Kimpop #1
I think about how I want to decorate my classroom all summer long, no scratch that.. all the time!!

The first couple of years of my teaching career, I definitely kept a consistent theme all year round but man, it gets tiring & costly to have bumble bees EVERYWHERE and you always are left with like 5 bumble bees from one year... 6 apples from another year so eventually you get to a school year when you gotta MIX all the decor together to make one nice... jungle/orchard/zoo. Haha.

This year is DEFINITELY the jungle/orchard/zoo year. We're putting up monkeys on our doors, name tags on the desks have book worms on em, and I used bumble bee trimming around our classroom bulletin boards.

Here are some pictures of our classroom that is about 85% done!

Looking forward to a brand new school year,

Ms. Kimpop

A Must Read!

My dear friend whom I look up to and love very much shared this article with me and the moment I read it, I thought man, this bloggers knows my heart.

It's a must read for parents & teachers and pretty much sums up the kinds of thoughts I have and are working through as the 2013-2014 school year approaches...

What I want the Parents of My Students to Know

Enjoy!

Ms. Kimpop

Summer Tip #3 Readjusting Sleeping Schedules

In about two weeks, New York City schools will re-open for students to jump start the 2013-2014 school year! I hope that back to school shopping is wrapping up for you and your children are excited to go back to school! I am getting ready myself.... have to shop for some new outfits... going into the classroom to set up next week etc... Summer is definitely winding down... trying to soak up what is left of it~ :)

One VERY important tip for you is helping your child readjust to a normal sleeping schedule starting as early as you read this post! 

Many parents tell me that during the summer, they let their children sleep past their bed time and most kids will go back to their normal sleeping schedules once school starts but if you want to ensure the easiest transition possible, you should start the readjustment a week or two before school! 

Some Tips on Readjusting Sleeping Schedules

1. Do something active with your child during the day... for the next two weeks, tire your kids out during the day so once night time comes, they are ready to K.O.

2. Gradually change their sleeping time. If your child's normally sleeps at 9pm and during the summer, he or she has been sleeping at 11pm, work your way back 30 minutes at a time. So tonight, put them to bed at 10:30 instead of 11. The next day 10 instead of 10:30... until you get back to 9pm.

3. Avoid giving your child anything sugary past 6pm.

4. Give your child a bath if they're young enough. If they're older, ask them to take a nice refreshing shower before bed... it usually puts them right to sleep! 

5. If all of the above fails, allow them to have a glass of milk at the dinner table... I know this is an old trick in the book but this even works for me! 

I hope these tips help you help your child go back to a normal sleeping pattern. 

As a teacher, I reaffirm just how important it is for a growing child to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night. I've had tired students fall asleep on me in class because they stayed up all night playing video games or simply refused to sleep on time! 

Here's to happy and focused students who sleep on time! 

Summer Tip #2 from Ms. Kimpop

Hello everyone!
I know it's been a while since I've posted... my apologies for I was away for a week with my church in Dominican Republic and Haiti.
If anyone is interested in reading my testimony here you go!
It was an awesome trip and I sure feel very blessed as the summer slowly starts to wrap up.

I know there is about a month or less before school starts again and I've been seeing back to school items at staples and target.

My tip for you today is to do back to school shopping EARLY.. AKA NOW!
I've seen parents shop for school supplies way back in July.
I actually ran into one of my parents from school at target and I couldn't help but think that she was SO smart for beating the lines and getting everything in order early on. I predict that 3rd and 4th week of August, these super stores will be PACKED with families trying to locate crayons, markers, scissors, etc. I think you should save yourself the headache and the trouble (sometimes supplies run out or low!) so... go now!! Staples has great weekly sales so you might want to check out their circular.

Even now is kind of pushing it cause some schools start earlier than others.

Another tip is to hit up stores like target on a week night. I absolutely LOVE going to target on a week night (plus they stay open till about 11pm at night but you should double check with your local target). There is practically no one there and it feels like you're free to roam and browse and take your sweet time. Never go to target on a weekend.... it's chaos! 

Summer Tip #1 from Ms. Kimpop

Hey everyone!

So school is officially out and I have been asked numerous times by parents on how they can help their children stay on track (academically) during the summer vacation. Honestly, I think it's important that children get to rest and have some fun... they have been working hard all year long but one thing that I highly recommend is to encourage kids to read~ especially encouraging leisure reading to keep their reading skills sharp.

So how do you do that?

Summer Tip #1
Encourage children to read!

1) Designate a time during the day to read with your child. You and your child can read your own books but sit together on the couch, the bed, or a bean bag on the floor and read together. After reading, have a quick discussion about what you read about.

2) Motivate your child to read. Maybe your child doesn't like to read and a little incentive is needed. Make reading fun. Set a goal with your child. Think of a realistic number of book that you expect your child to read by the end of summer or by the end of the week. Set a goal and once the goal is met, reward your child. Maybe every book read is a ice cream date with you? Think of something that will make reading fun for him/her!

3) Go visit a bookstore with your child. Bookstores can be fun especially one like barnes & nobles because they have a special children's section. Have your child pick out a couple of books to scan and check out. At the end of the bookstore visit, buy a couple of books that your child liked and bring them home to read!

Okay, I hope these reading tips help you encourage your child to read this summer. Let's get their noses buried in some good books.

For third graders (students entering 3rd grade this September) there are some series of books that I can recommend. Series of books are great because if your child likes one book out of the series, you can purchase MORE books from the same series.

Some series I'd like to recommend are...

Horrible Harry Series 

Really fun especially for children who like fantasy...

My personal favorite!!! 

The Magic Tree House series is really an excellent series with loads of real facts for students to learn. 

Make-it-yourself Summer Treat (so simple!!)

Hi everyone! I haven't blogged in awhile. It's been busy trying to wrap up the school year and clean up and store away our classroom. Only 3 more school days until New York City public schools are out for the summer.

In celebration of the start of summer, here is a REALLY simple make-it-yourself ice cream recipe that you can EASILY make with your children, nieces, nephews, & any little person in your life!

Ingredients
-  half & half (1 cup) you can use milk for a lighter option
-vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
-sugar (1 tablespoon)

1) Combine the following ingredients and pour into a pint size bag (preferably with a zipper- I find these to be more sturdy.. you can also DOUBLE bag the pint size bag for extra security)

2) In a gallon size bag, combine ice (fill up to 3/4 of gallon size bag) and a 1/3 cup salt (preferably kosher salt... the bigger the granules the better for the treat!).

3) Place the pint size bag into the gallon size bag (try to place the pint size bag in between the ice so that it's nicely covered) and zip it up. You can double bag the gallon size bag too!

4) Okay, here is the fun part! Have your little people shake the gallon size bag up and down for about 5 minutes. If he/she gets tired you can help to shake the bag.

5) After 5 minutes of shaking, remove the pint size bag from the gallon size and you should see that the mixture has turned into an ice cream mixture!! If it's not as firm as you'd like you can place it back in the bag and shake some more.

6) Add some sprinkles and fudge into your ice cream bag for some extra fun!!

Here is a link to my instagram of when I made this in class with my kiddies. :)

Happy shaking & the start of summer!!

And the Winner is...

First off, a BIG thank you to those who signed up for my first giveaway!!!!
You really encouraged me with your comments and just letting me you're here with me  ;)
so thank you!!!

1) Joan (as always for your continued love & support for what I do & love)
2) Stardusx (I will do a post soon on a book list I recommend for 3rd grade)
3) Atabanana29 (please tell your girls I said hi and I truly appreciate you ladies checking out my blog)

So what I did was put your names into a class list at www.classdojo.com
(which is a GREAT website for all teachers... it's basically a site where you can upload your class list and each student becomes an avatar or a cute little monster..)
then using the website, you can award students for positive behavior or take away points for negative behavior.. there is also a nifty RANDOM STUDENT button where the site will go through your class list and pick a student at random.

That is exactly what I did.. see first I created a brand new class list on my classdojo account and those who signed up for my giveaway became a cute little monster... as seen below...

Then I simply clicked on the "RANDOM" student button to pick a name at random and the winner is.....

So congratulations stardusx!!! 

Please comment below with an email I can reach you so I can get the books to you ASAP. 

Have a great week everyone and thanks again for participating in my first giveaway!

XOXO,

Ms. Kimpop

First Giveaway!

Hi everyone! 

If you're reading this post, you're in for a real treat! 

I had some brand new books lying around the classroom so I've decided to do my very first giveaway. 

I will be giving away a collection of children's books (pictured below). 

The last book which is a book from the Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne,
is one of my favs! 

All books are paper back (& BRAND NEW) and I will ship it to a shipping address you provide me (free of charge). 

All you have to do to enter this giveaway is:

1) Comment on this post and tell me how you started reading my blog or stumbled upon this post! 

3) Live in the states (for shipping purposes).

The winner will be chosen at random and I will update this post with the winner. 

Give away ends Monday May 27th 12:00AM Eastern Time.

A Penny Goes a Long Way

Today I went to Michael's craft store with my good friend Christine.
Michael's is definitely one of my most favorite stores in the whole wide world.
I can spend HOURS in there.
I always like to check out the clearance section of stores like Michael's & Target because in the past, I've found some treasures there.

Today, in the clearance section of Michael's, I came across some Dr. Seuss letter papers (50 count to be exact pictured below).

I always like having a pack of these in the classroom in case I have to type of a letter to the parents or send home a notice!

Anyways, it was time to pay and I handed this pack over to the cashier and asked,
"Can I have a price check?" She scanned the pack and on the screen I saw, ".01" not sure why but I stood there waiting for a different price. I don't think I've EVER bought anything for $.01.
After the cashier said, "a penny" then it registered that this pack of paper was on clearance for A PENNY!
Right away I told her that I would take another one (one for me and one for my good friend Christine).
This completes the story of the BEST deal/bargain of my life.

So, have you ever bought anything for a penny?

Children's Book Pick for the Month of April

Hey everyone!
I have a new book to recommend for your library.
Actually this is more of an author recommendation.
There is an author named Doreen Rappaport who writes WONDERFUL picture books.

Here is a little blurb about her directly from her website:
"Doreen Rappaport is an award-winning author of children’s books known to educators, parents, children and young adult readers for thirty-eight fiction and non-fiction books that celebrate multiculturalism, the retelling of folktales and myths, history, the lives of world leaders and the stories of those she calls ‘not-yet-celebrated.’"

One of her most famous book is Martin's Big Words (another MUST have in your library!!)

For April, I'd like to recommend....

(note the title is in braille & english- love that the publishers thought of that!)

Recently, I read Helen's Big World: The Life of Helen Keller to my kiddies and they absolutely loved learning more about the famous Helen Keller. I don't think kids ever get deeply exposed to Helen Keller's life other than learning that he was deaf and blind but Helen's Big World does a wonderful job of going deeper into Helen's life and the book accurately portrays just how difficult life was for Helen and it also highlights the works of Annie Sullivan, Helen's teacher and greatest friend.

In summary:

April's Recommendation: Helen's Big World: The Life of Helen Keller

Author: Doreen Rappaport

Good for ages: Grades 1-4 (ages 5-9)

Purpose: To learn about how Helen Keller overcame obstacles and challenges in life and accomplished great things with the help of her teacher, Annie Sullivan. 

Surviving Testing Season 101

If you are a parent or a teacher of a child in grade 3 or above, you know what season it is...
that's right.... it's officially TESTING season.

My kiddies will be taking their New York State English Language Arts exam this week.
April 16th,17th, and 18th to be exact and the following week,
they will take the New York State Math exam.
These tests are designed to measure student progress from this school year. The exams are long and especially challenging this year because it will follow the new common core state standards.

Testing season can be stressful for teachers, parents, and students a like.
Today, I'd like to share some helpful tips on easing test anxiety.

If you or your child is anxious or nervous about the upcoming tests, here are a few pointers to help you (& your child) feel at ease.

Testing Survival Tips 101

1) If you're a parent, please try to calm your own worries before you try to help your child. If you look or act worried, the child will pick up on it and become worried as well. 

2) Remind your child that he/she has been doing a great job so far and this test is no different than the other test they have taken this year. 

3) Remind the students to just simply try their best because that's what counts!

4) The day before the test, have your child do something outdoors or do a  fun arts and crafts activity at home with you. Please don't try to cram in any last minute studying!

5) On the day of the test, make sure your child eats breakfast! Carbs & protein! 

Lastly, remember that although these are state exams it's just a test.
Most students do just fine on these exams.
If there was anything to worry about, your child's teacher would have let you know early on so that remedial help could be offered to your child.

I hope that these tips give you some peace of mind.
Now, let us be CALM & SURVIVE on~!

Love,
Ms. Kimpop